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For nearly four decades, South Plains Mall has helped the community through volunteerism and support of nonprofits in Lubbock.

Beth Bridges, senior manager of marketing for the mall, said the shopping center hosts nonprofits and other organizations from across the Lubbock area throughout the year.

The mall management team volunteers outside of the mall. The office staff has an Adopt A Highway section and picks up trash from the area four times a year. Bridges said they’ve participated in the program for at least 15 years.

The team has volunteered with AMBUCS, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce and local early learning centers. Individual stores in the mall also participate in community outreach, Bridges said.

Events hosted at the mall include: the Komen for the Cure registration, the South Plains Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’s animal adoption fairs, the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree and the Toys for Tots toy drive.

Kathy Reasoner, director of Children’s Miracle Network, has helped organize the organization’s radiothon for seven years.

The radiothon runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for three days.

“It is a time where we bring families in,” Reasoner said. “They’ve pre-recorded stories. Disc jockeys talk live to families. We have a phone bank there to take phone calls. We get a lot of interest because people at mall and mall walkers stop by to find information about Children’s Miracle Network and the radiothon.”

The mall staff accommodates the volunteers, Reasoner said. They meet with the organization months in advance to plan, run wires for the phones and donate change from the fountain. Merchants provide food for those working the radiothon.

“We’re very lucky,” Reasoner said. “You’re not going to have traffic if you just have it at the hospital as some radiothons do, or at the radio station. What’s a better place to have a draw for three days than the South Plains Mall? ... People drop $100 bills in (the donation collection container). We wouldn’t have anything like that any other place in town that I can think of.”

The South Plains Mall also has hosted the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Muscle Walk since it began in Lubbock in 2006.

“They allow us to utilize all of the (common areas). It is accessible for our families since some of them do have mobility challenges,” said Ashley Knox, MDA executive director. “It’s a fun place to do it. Many of our families come in from surrounding communities to Lubbock for the walk. For many of them it’s not an everyday possibility to go and be at the mall and enjoy the amenities the South Plains Mall has to offer.”

The mall also has sponsored the organization’s summer camp by making donations for the last several years, Knox said.

Elvis Moya, director of promotions and fan engagement at Texas Tech University, said the South Plains Mall and Tech Athletics have had a great strong relationship for many years.

The mall has hosted autograph sessions and photo opportunities, encouraging fans to rally around the Red Raiders, he said.

Moya said the 40-year celebration gives Lubbockites the opportunity to recognize the growth of not only the shopping center, but the city.

“They’ve been a great corporate partner of ours, and where else are you going to reach a massive amount of fans other than a central location such as a mall?” Moya said. “It provides us with access to fans that support athletics.”